Frank Damazio in The Making of a Leader devotes an entire chapter to the character a leader must have to be effective. He lists qualities all leaders must possess and then moves to specific areas of life we might skip over. He says there are eight major areas where we must develop our character in order to achieve God’s goals for us.

Think about each of these and see where you need to improve, make changes or are confident that you are what you need to be. 

1. Spiritual Life – Godly character can be built on nothing except a personal relationship with Jesus. Our spiritual lives develop through our study of God’s Word, prayer and meditation.
2. Personal Life – Our lifestyle, made up of our habits and behavior, exert a tremendous influence on those we are trying to lead. Our personal lives must be in line with the principles for Christian living found in the Bible.
3. Home Life – If our relationships in our families are dysfunctional, there is no way we will lead effectively and serve as healthy role models for others. Our home life must be in order.
4. Social Life – Our friends influence our behavior, and our character reflects the friendships we have. Friends are a reflection of your values and outlook on life. You know the saying, “Guilty by association”? Others many times gauge our character by our friends.
5. Educational Life – Education alone is not enough to build good character. However, our attitude toward learning will! We must work to be lifetime learners. Experiences inside and outside the classroom help us develop healthy characters.
6. Ministerial Life – I want to quote the author directly here: “What he (a leader) is will come out in what he does in his ministry” (p.120). This means that if we are lazy, not willing to learn, not open to new ideas, this will be seen in our ministry!
7. Marital Life – Any marital relationship will be as limited as the partners’ character development. We bring our character deficiencies into our marriages. We won’t meet our spouse’s needs if our character isn’t in line with what God tells us to do/be in the Bible.
8. Financial Life – Jesus taught that leaders must be wise in financial matters before God will entrust them with the riches of His Kingdom. We must be frugal, wise, have strong ethical values, and be careful in our money management. No one respects a leader who is deeply in debt and unable to manage his/her finances.

Johann von Goethe said, “Character, in great and little things, means carrying through what you feel able to do.”

We as Christian female leaders must be diligent in developing a godly character in these eight areas of our lives so our influence upon others is positive and leads them to Christ, and engages them in fulfilling the Great Commission of telling the world about the peace Jesus brings through His sacrificial life and death.